2013 Relic Artefact Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact is a bold, punchy wine that captures the radiance and intensity of Kenefick Ranch without falling into the trap of being excessively heavy, which is always an issue with this warm site in Calistoga. Iron, smoke, plum, cedar and leather build into the intense finish. This is a fairly approachable wine that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring.

The blockbuster 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Artefact was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak and comes completely from the Kenefick Ranch, which is adjacent to the Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga. Opaque purple and full-bodied, it offers up notes of pen ink, graphite, blackberry and cassis as well as some background toasty oak, baking spice box, licorice, and some loamy soil undertones. This big, rich, intense wine should hit its prime in about 4-5 years and last 20 or more. Another long-aging wine, and one with probably 50 years of evolution ahead of it.